


Putting Charlie Right

by mindabbles



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Age Difference, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Community: hp_crossgenfest, Cross-Generation Relationship, Desk Sex, Dirty Talk, Dragons, Frottage, M/M, Office Sex, Past Teddy Lupin/Victoire Weasley, Romance, Semi-Public Sex, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-08-15
Packaged: 2019-06-25 21:16:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15649086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mindabbles/pseuds/mindabbles
Summary: Teddy is good at his job. He can take the most disorganised, poorly maintained record keeping system and have it pass any audit within weeks. Teddy is very, very good at his job, and he’d be able to prove that fact if Charlie wasn’t bent on distracting him.





	Putting Charlie Right

**Author's Note:**

> Gracerene, your prompt grabbed me right away. Thank you for being such a wonderful and kind mod. Thank you to E for the once over.

"I don’t fancy trying to put Charlie right," Teddy says. He fiddles with his tea cup.

Harry laughs in that way that convinces you everything is going to be fine. At least, it convinces Teddy of that. "Others before you have tried and failed." 

Teddy feels his cheeks warm, and he has no idea why. "I’m, what I mean is, I know him. I’ve never audited someone I know." 

"What you mean is, you know him and you’ve only just broken off with his niece, and you don’t know what Bill has told him," Harry says. He refills Teddy’s tea. 

"This is work. It has nothing to do with my personal life," he says, sitting up straighter. 

"Teddy, Charlie won’t hold it against you," Harry says. "Did I ever tell you he’s part of the reason Ginny and I split?" 

"What?" Teddy asks. His teacup nearly slips from his hand. 

"Not because — ," Harry starts. "Nothing like that. Not with him. Charlie sat us both down and told us we didn’t need to live our lives for the expectations of others. I think that’s part of why he left England in the first place. And no one who cares about you thinks that you should live for others, either." 

Teddy opens his mouth to speak and immediately realises he’d rather hear what Harry has to say next than add anything himself. 

"I’d have loved it if you and Victoire had stayed together, but only if it was right for both of you." 

"Thanks," Teddy says. 

"Now go and do what you do best — whip Charlie Weasley into shape, and I can’t wait to hear all about it."

**

"Welcome," Charlie says. Teddy finds himself staring. The colours are vibrant here, and Charlie is a sight, standing in the gate to the compound in his leather trousers and long, neat coat. "Come in then," Charlie says when Teddy doesn’t move for longer than is probably socially appropriate. He bows Teddy in through the gate and extends his hand. 

"Hello," Teddy says. He takes Charlie’s hand. It’s broad and strong. 

Inside the gate, the living compound of the reserve stretches out before him. A green sweep of a slope, dotted with cabins and criss-crossed by winding paths, ends in the tree line of a deep forest. The air smells of pine and wildflowers, with a back drop of sulphur and brimstone. 

Charlie takes Teddy’s bag and smiles at him. "It’s beautiful, isn’t it?" 

"Yes," says Teddy, realising his mouth was hanging open. He follows Charlie up the slope to a row of tiny cabins. Unlike the tents of Teddy’s childhood camping trips, this cabin is no larger on the inside than it appears from the outside. 

"It’s no Grimmauld Place, or even your grandmother’s house, but I reckon it’ll do," says Charlie. He drops Teddy’s bag on the bed, like an extremely burly, ageing Bellman. 

"I have my own flat now," says Teddy, suddenly feeling like a teenager who’s insisting he’s as grown up as anyone else. 

Charlie just smiles, and Teddy swallows down the embarrassment that burns in his chest. 

Teddy takes in the room — dusty corners, shabby bedclothes, and a cracked washbasin. He bites his tongue to keep from remarking that if the state of the guest quarters is any indication of the state of the books, it’s no wonder the Department sent him here. 

"Harry asked me to watch out for you. Do you need me to watch out for you?" Charlie cocks his head, and his gaze sweeps up and down Teddy’s body.

Teddy doesn’t know whether to feel insulted, comforted, afraid, or turned on by this offer. 

"I assure you, I can take care of myself," Teddy says. "I’m here to help you, after all." 

"If you say so," Charlie says. "Dinner is in the main hall at 7:30." 

Teddy watches as Charlie’s broad frame vacates the door. He takes a quick inventory of the cabin and starts right in to tidying. 

**

 _Dinner_ turned out to be food and drinks and stories and songs that went on and on. It was well past midnight when Teddy finally made his way back to the tiny cabin that would be his home until he could put things in order and get back to his real job. He’s good at his job, he’s confident in that. He’s organised and efficient and hard-working, but there’s a small part of him that’s worried that they’ll realise they can get on without him if he’s gone too long. 

**

The light streaming in from outside lets Teddy know that he’s overslept. Teddy sighs and turns over in the bed. He’d managed to make the cabin clean and comfortable enough before going to the hall last night and by the time he’d fallen into the narrow bed, he wouldn’t have cared if it had still been dusty and Doxy-ridden. 

He forces himself out of bed and heats some water for tea. As it steeps, he pulls a ledger from his briefcase and sets out to mark and colour-code sections for the necessary records — finances, grounds keeping, breeding and births, personnel, dragon health, correspondence. From what his supervisor told him, he’ll be starting from scratch. The last auditor from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures came back to London without finishing the audit and had to take a fortnight of holiday to recover. Teddy can only presume that because Charlie is family of sorts to Teddy, the higher-ups have assumed Teddy will know how to handle him more adeptly.

After last night, Teddy’s not so certain. He hadn’t been able to take his eyes of Charlie all evening, and he wasn’t the only one. It’s not that people seemed to worship Charlie, it’s that nearly everyone in the hall had seemed to want to be near him, catch his eye, be the butt of one of his jokes or featured in one of his ribald stories. And despite himself, Teddy had felt warm inside when Charlie told the entire hall that Teddy was a good bloke and to make him welcome. He then launched into a story of the last time he and Charlie were both at a holiday dinner, and the nine hour Quidditch match that ensued. 

Teddy remembers every moment of that match. Victoire had just told Teddy that she wasn’t sure he was entirely straight, and that she wasn’t sure she was either, and that maybe they should open up their relationship. He feels his cheeks heat as he remembers his denials and his insistence that he didn’t think he could manage her sleeping with other people, and that he didn’t want to either. She’d made an off hand comment about the way Teddy watched Charlie and suggested that Teddy was as thick as a post. 

It had been month later, lazily stroking himself as he watched the man they’d picked up at a club slowly fuck Victoire from behind that he realised it was not the man’s place in which he was imagining himself. 

Teddy secures the ledger pages in folders, cross-referenced and organised by colour, and wonders how he’s going to concentrate on his work with Charlie about, looking as he does. 

**

Teddy steps into the Dragon Reserve administrative office at eight o’clock sharp. If possible, it’s more of a mess than the guest cabin. There’s a desk with a mound of papers so high that Teddy’s certain it will tip over in a cascade of parchment streaming to the floor if Teddy so much as breathes in its direction. A filing cabinet is stuffed to bursting and a box marked ‘receipts’ is thick with dust. He wishes he’d not worn his best work robes. 

Teddy pushes up his sleeves and decides to start with the desk. He holds his breath as he brushes the dust from the receipt box and opens it. Two receipts, yellowed with age, lie in the bottom of the box. 

There’s a rap at the window, making Teddy jump. "Morning," Charlie calls out. "Come on, then." 

Teddy frowns at the stack of parchment he’s decided to excavate after discovering that the receipt box was a dead end. "Come where, exactly?" 

"Out," Charlie says. "There’s nothing useful in there." 

Teddy suspected as much, but he’s shocked that Charlie’s admitted it so freely. "I need to get started," Teddy says, trying not to sound too tetchy. People are always telling him he looks prim and, well, like he’s got a broomstick up his arse, when he gets officious. For some reason, it seems important that Charlie not see him as prim. 

"You need to get to know the Reserve, and in there is not where to start," Charlie says. "Come on." 

Teddy huffs and manages to neaten the edges of the pile as he replaces the parchment. It looks a bit less like it’s going to topple over. 

"What?" Teddy asks once he’s stood in front of Charlie. "If your office is not where I start, where the blazes is?" 

"Out there," Charlie says, gesturing to the hills north of the compound. 

The deep evergreen of pine trees blankets the hills, giving way to craggy, imposing mountains that, Teddy knows from the stories Harry's told him, conceal caves and thermal springs and dragon’s lairs. 

"It couldn’t hurt," Teddy says. He was beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed by the state of the office, truth be told. A complete lack of order makes him anxious, and he cannot imagine how anyone can work in this mess. It is possible, he thinks, that learning more about the Reserve will help him make sense of the records, tell the story of the work here. That, at its core, is what he loves about his work — he documents the heart of the work, he tells the stories so people who know nothing about working with magical creatures can better understand why they’re important. "One look around."

"One look around," repeats Charlie. "Here," he says, flicking his wand, and a pair of heavy work boots zoom into Teddy’s arms. "Put those on." 

Teddy’s happy not to ruin his good shoes, so he does as Charlie says, and follows him out into the warm morning air.

**

Teddy is taller than Charlie, and one would think that meant he had longer legs and could keep up, but Charlie strides up the steep hill with the ease of an extremely muscular deer. Teddy’s face is hot and he’s huffing and puffing after ten minutes. 

"Where are we going?" he asks, trying not to sound out of breath. He takes the moment that Charlie turns to answer him as an opportunity to stop. When the oxygen floods back into his brain and the ringing stops in his ears, the splendour of the towering mountains, ancient forest, and startlingly blue sky hit him full force. 

"What made you go off my niece?" Charlie asks in response, which makes Teddy think that wherever they might be going is not going to bode well for him.

"I — what?" Teddy stops himself from spluttering that he’s here to get the books in order and that’s the end of it. 

"None of my business. Right," Charlie says. "Wait until you see this cave," he says. The grin lights up his face, and Teddy can see the hint of the mischievous boy he must have been. The bright summer afternoon light reflects on his hair, making it sparkle with the very colour of the sun. 

Teddy forces himself to look away. Surrounded by redheads his entire life, of course, Teddy was conditioned to find them attractive. 

"This won’t be long, I imagine," Teddy says, glancing at his watch. "I really should get back to the receipts." 

Charlie laughs and continues his long strides up the hill, which doesn’t seem like the right response. Teddy has to jog to keep up, shading his eyes from the sun. 

"We’re here," Charlie says, coming to a stop in a clearing. It’s shaded from the sun and ten degrees cooler here than on the exposed slope. Charlie pulls a flask from his pocket and takes a long drink. A look of bliss crosses his face as he swallows and Teddy wonders again when he’s going to get to the books. 

"I really should get back. That is to say, I’ve a job and I’ve things to do back in London, and you do need help," Teddy says. Charlie gives him a disappointed look and Teddy is suddenly aware of the way the eggs and bacon he’d had for breakfast are sitting in the pit of his stomach. 

"You’ll finish your job," says Charlie. "Look around you, man."

The clearing is small and sheltered by impossibly tall pine trees on three sides and a granite wall on the other. The ground is devoid of plant-life and packed hard as if it’s been trod upon by many feet. There’s a fissure in the rock that’s rubbed smooth and darkened as if by soot. 

"You’re going to tell me we’re going in there, aren’t you?" Teddy asks. A little thrill of fear runs through him. "Experience the reality or some such rot." 

Charlie laughs and says, "Something like that." 

Teddy can’t help but smile and he finds himself following Charlie despite his better judgement. They squeeze through the fissure and Teddy is wondering how a dragon gets in and out of the narrow entrance when he hears a low rumbling. His heart pounds and when Charlie reaches back and stills him with a hand on his chest, he feels more excited than afraid. 

"Having a dragon eat me is one way to avoid doing your accounting," whispers Teddy. 

"She’s a long way away," Charlie says in a low voice. "If she’s in here at this time of day, and not out hunting, she’s expecting her egg to hatch soon. We’ll have to skip an inspection of this cave unless you want to get closer to a nesting mother dragon." 

"You’re a right riot," Teddy says. "I have to get back to the office at any rate." 

"Surrender," says Charlie. "Come on then, back to the books." 

Something about the way Charlie says it, again with that slight tinge of disappointment, makes Teddy wish he’s said almost anything else. He realises he’s pursing his lips in the way that Harry always told him made him look like his grandmother when he and Harry ignored nap time. He doesn’t make any effort to stop the disapproving grandmother look. Traipsing around the hills and caves, with their stunning landscapes and thrilling discoveries, and with Charlie’s affable company and fit body, is all well and good, but he is here to do a bloody job. 

Back in the office, Teddy attacks the pile on the desk. He’s hit a rhythm of stacking receipts, breeding records, notes about health, and personnel records when Charlie pops back in to remind him that dinner will be served. Now Teddy knows that means there will be drinks and songs, and Charlie will tell stories, and everyone, including Teddy, will look at him like he hung the moon. 

**

The third day, and the fourth, unfold in much the same way — Charlie leads Teddy on adventures. He spends his days being excited, annoyed, enthralled, and impatient in equal measure. They explore caves and treasure stores and dragon dung and lairs. He learns about eating, mating, sleeping, and migration patterns. He hears about their illnesses, their growth, their personalities, and the rag tag family of staff on the Reserve. He sees it all through Charlie’s eyes and he can’t help but begin to fall a little in love. 

Late in the fifth evening, Teddy sits at the fire they’d built in the ring outside the dining room. He’s propped against a log, watching the embers from the slowly dying fire soar into the night. The late night sky is inky-dark and everyone but Teddy and Charlie have turned in. 

Every night seems to be a late night, and Teddy wonders at the little sleep that these people appear to need. He’s always been an eight-hours sort of bloke. Looking up at the sky with its blanket of stars spread before him, he can’t help but admit that there’s a certain kind of peace and beauty to be found at this hour that doesn’t exist at any other time of day.

Charlie slides off the log and sits next to Teddy. His arms brushes Teddy’s as he settles his back against the log. Charlie tilts his head back and Teddy watches how his throat curves and jaw becomes sharper with the stretch. 

"Can you still spot all the constellations?" Charlie asks. 

Teddy sweeps his gaze across the sky, naming as many of them as he can in his head. "Perhaps not quite to O.W.L. standards. You?" 

"I did spend lots of time in the Astronomy Tower, but the lion’s share of it was not with a star chart." 

Teddy leans his head back against the log so he can see the full expanse of the vast sky. "I probably did have a chart." Teddy had loved astronomy — it seemed a perfect combination of order and magic, wonder and logic. 

"I bet you were a swot," Charlies says. He nudges Teddy’s shoulder with his. 

"I bet you weren’t," says Teddy, pressing back against Charlie’s shoulder. 

"I did all right," Charlie says. He’s turned his head so Teddy can feel the warmth of his words against his face. 

"So did I," says Teddy. 

"Is that right?" Charlie asks. "So, did you ever snog someone up there, behind one of the turrets, the cold air freezing your fingers, but you wouldn’t go in for anything?" 

"Sounds like you’re speaking from experience."

Charlie’s eyes crinkle with his smile. His mouth looks warm and open. Teddy could lean in just a bit and press his mouth to Charlie’s. He’d curve his hand around Charlie’s jaw and feel the scratch of the stubble and softness of the skin under his hand. 

A movement in the sky pulls Teddy’s gaze from Charlie. The moon disappears behind a wide sweep of wings. The dragon’s long neck stretches out in front of it like a swan in flight. It’s graceful and ferocious at the same time. Teddy would swear he can feel the breeze from the down-draft of the beat of its wings. It’s a black outline against the sky, but points of purple and green sparkle as its iridescent hide catches the moonlight. It’s the most terrifying and beautiful thing that Teddy has ever seen and it takes his breath away. 

It disappears behind the crest of the mountain and Teddy follows its flight, imagining he can still hear the beating of its wings. He turns to Charlie to find him watching Teddy watch the dragon, an unreadable expression on his face. 

"We nearly hunted them to extinction, you know," Charlie says. "Their hide, their claws, their blood — for centuries we’ve prized bits of them more than their lives. This," he says, gesturing around him, "was the start of protecting them. Taking care of the injured and tracking their health is a lot of what we do, but we also find sustainable ways to share their magic with the world and protect them from poachers. It’s hard to capture all of what we are in words or numbers," Charlie says. He smiles and shrugs. "I’ve never been good at documenting any of it." 

And here they are, back at why Teddy’s job doesn’t amount to anything in the face of Charlie’s. Teddy leans back, away from Charlie and his square jaw and lush mouth. "Time to turn in, I reckon," he says. He should be back at the books early in the morning. Staying up all hours, star-gazing, isn’t going to get the job done. 

He stands and heads back to the cabin. When he’s almost there, he turns and sees that Charlie is still sitting in the same spot, but he’s not looking at the sky. He’s looking after Teddy. 

**

Teddy is drifting in and out of sleep, not able to get the sight of the dragon flying overhead out of his mind. His muscles ache pleasantly from trying to keep up with Charlie on the hills and — despite his resolve of earlier this evening — his mind wanders to the breadth of Charlie’s shoulders and the curve of his arse as he clambered up narrow paths ahead of Teddy. He slides his hand into his pyjamas and circles his cock lightly with his fingers. Charlie’s strong thighs would feel so right pressed against Teddy’s hips. His cock hardens and he sighs into the feeling. 

He sits bolt upright, heart pounding as he struggles to understand what interrupted what promised to be an epic wank. The sharp rapping at the door comes again, and Charlie’s voice calls his name. 

"We have to go now," Charlie shouts. "Get up." 

Teddy is out of bed and pulling on his trousers as it occurs to him that he didn’t for a second consider telling Charlie to stuff it. It’s been two days since he was in the office and the moment Charlie calls him, none of it matters. If his boss could see him, she would decide he’d become redundant. 

He wraps a cloak around his shoulders and flings open the door. Charlie is grinning at him and he grabs Teddy’s arm and pulls him out into the night. Teddy can feel the heat from Charlie’s hand on his arm as he hurries after him. 

"Where are we going?" Teddy asks, laughing and yawning. 

"You’ll see," says Charlie. "Keep close." 

Teddy thinks there’s little that could stop him from keeping close. 

The moon is bright and serves as their lantern and the cool air washes over Teddy’s skin. They are climbing higher than Teddy has before, and he’s dizzy with the exertion and altitude. They reach a ridge, lined with trees. The mountain falls away at the ridge to a small valley several metres beyond. Charlie grabs Teddy’s hand and pulls.

"Down here," he says, crouching behind a boulder and bringing Teddy with him. Teddy squeezes Charlie’s hand and Charlie doesn’t let go. "Don’t move," he says. "There." 

Teddy can’t breathe. He can’t speak, and he most certainly can’t move.

The dragon is as tall as the pine trees that ring the valley and she must weigh as much as a house. She bends her magnificent neck and lowers her head to drink from a pond in the centre of the valley. Her scales are the green of the moss that grows on the rocks near the pond, shimmering as if they’ve been dusted with gold. 

"She’s a beauty," Charlie says, grinning at Teddy like a proud parent. 

Teddy still can’t speak. He thought he understood magical creatures, but the power and energy flowing off her is nothing like he’s ever experienced. 

"She’s nesting in the cave on the other side of the valley and I heard she has settled here, so I knew she’d be out at night. She’ll stay until the eggs hatch. I haven’t seen her clutch and I’m not stupid enough to try when she’s awake," Charlie says. "So, I haven’t counted the eggs." 

"Oh," says Teddy. He feels his stomach fall to his feet. He’d let himself believe one more time that Charlie wanted to show him the dragon because she’s beautiful, powerful, magical. He’d hoped Charlie wanted to share this with him, and instead he wanted to show Teddy one more way he just didn’t understand why the records are in the shambles they are.

"What’s wrong?" Charlie asks. Teddy shakes his head. "I’ve been running you ragged," says Charlie.

Teddy feels like an idiot. Charlie is showing him things that matter to him, because he’s kind, because he’s a good teacher, because he wants whatever system Teddy creates to work for the Reserve and not to be the same as Teddy would create for Eeylops Owl Emporium. That’s good. That’s enough. It will help Teddy to do a good job, and he’s learning things he never imagined. It should be enough. It’s not. 

"No," says Teddy. "Fine. I’m fine."

"I’ve an idea." Charlie creeps away from the boulder and beckons Teddy to follow. Teddy does, wondering at the same time if he’ll ever not follow Charlie without question. They both look back at the dragon. She’s settling down, curling around what must be her eggs. 

Charlie leads Teddy over rocks and through several crevasses until they reach a pool surrounded by a ring of trees. Steam rises off the pool. 

"A spring?" Teddy asks. 

"Heal those sore muscles in a tic," Charlie says and before Teddy can think or object or do anything, Charlie is stripping off his clothes. His skin is pale in the moonlight, his muscular back is broad and Teddy wants to run his tongue down the bumps of his spine. His arse is round and perfect and Teddy watches as the spectacular body disappears into the dark, steaming water. "Come on, you next," says Charlie, splashing the water up onto his shoulders. 

"I —" Teddy stammers. He’s pretty certain he can’t get into that spring without embarrassing himself, but then Charlie turns and looks up at the sky, his back to Teddy. Teddy strips off in record time and nearly breaks his ankle on the slippery rocks, trying to get under water before Charlie turns. 

The air is cool on his face and shoulders and the water is hot to the point of near discomfort. It feels smooth and soft and Teddy can feel the blisters on his feet healing and the ache in his muscles easing. "Merlin, that’s good," he moans. 

Charlie dives under the water and comes up, shaking his hair. "It’s mineral water — heal anything that ails you." Charlie slides toward Teddy. "I’ve been working you hard. Thought I’d give you a treat."

"It’s gorgeous," says Teddy, letting himself drift closer to Charlie. Maybe it’s the pretence of the cover of night, but Teddy lets himself look. Charlie’s jaw is strong and dusted with dark red stubble. His muscled column of throat ends in defined collar bones that Teddy is sure would taste perfect under his tongue. His shoulders are broad and curve into his thick arms. There’s a wide scar across one of his shoulders and Teddy reaches out to touch it. The scar tissue is smooth to his touch. Charlie doesn’t move. "Didn’t get in here in time to heal this?" 

Charlie moves so he’s facing Teddy, so close. He shrugs and Teddy can feel the kiss before it happens. Charlie leans closer at the same time as Teddy does. Charlie’s mouth is as warm and soft as it looks and the hot water swirls around Teddy’s body as they move even closer. Teddy parts his lips, tracing Charlie’s with his tongue and he feels Charlie open to him. Teddy touches the tip of his tongue to Charlie’s and then feels Charlie pull back. 

"Nice," he says. "Very nice. But we should get back." He swims to the other side of the pool and, keeping his back carefully to Teddy, springs from the water and grabs his clothes. 

Teddy sinks up to his neck and breathes deeply, counting as he inhales and exhales. Once he’s sure he can get out of the pool without injuring himself, he dresses and jogs into the trees after Charlie. 

**

A cool breeze soothes Teddy’s skin after the long day outside. The pale evening light is peaceful. Teddy eases back against one of the logs by the fire. It’s late and everyone else has gone off for the evening. Charlie is stoking the fire in the pit and cradling a bottle of whisky in the crook of his elbow. Teddy’s exhausted, but he wouldn’t be anywhere else.

Charlie drops onto the log next to Teddy. He takes a swig of the whisky and hands the bottle to Teddy. Teddy reaches for it, his fingers wrapping around Charlie’s as he does.

Charlie holds both the bottle and Teddy’s hand still. "You want to be here," he says, examining Teddy’s face as if he’s a dragon who’s fallen ill.

"I want to be here," Teddy repeats.

"Here, with me," says Charlie. He lets go of the bottle. 

Teddy puts the bottle to his lips and takes a long drink. "Everyone wants to be with you," says Teddy. "What does that make me?"

"Not everyone can be with me," Charlie says. "What does that make you?"

"Nervous," says Teddy. He touches Charlie’s knee lightly with two fingers and trails them up to his thigh. 

"That’s not quite the answer I was hoping for," says Charlie. He’s still. He watches Teddy’s fingers trace the lines of his trousers, but he doesn’t move.

"I’m only nervous when I want something," Teddy says. He curves his hand around Charlie’s thigh so his fingers rest along the inside seam and Teddy can feel the heat and the hardness of Charlie’s muscular leg. 

This time, when he kisses Charlie, he means to leave no room for doubt of his intentions, and no possibility that Charlie will be able to walk away. He wraps his hand around the back of Charlie’s neck, stroking his jaw with gentle fingers. When Charlie doesn’t move, he leans in and kisses along Charlie’s jaw. The skin is warm and stubble-rough under his lips. By the time he works his way to Charlie’s mouth, his lips are parted and his breath is coming fast. The kiss is deep and long and Teddy is mad with desire when he pulls back and presses his cheek against Charlie’s. 

"It’s late," Charlie says, and Teddy is not having it, so he takes Charlie’s mouth again. He slides his tongue into Charlie’s mouth and teases. He explores and curls his tongue and pushes Charlie until he takes control of the kiss, surging against Teddy, his hands moving over Teddy’s body. 

"I’ll see you back to yours," says Charlie. He leaps from the log and takes off in the direction of the guest quarters. 

Teddy’s a bit wobbly on his feet and he jogs after Charlie. Charlie’s at the door when Teddy catches up with him. He launches himself at Charlie, wrapping his arms around Charlie’s body and one leg around his thigh. 

"God, I want you," Teddy says. He kisses the back of Charlie’s neck.

"Let me in the door, then," laughs Charlie, stumbling into the small front room that’s begun to feel like home. Teddy doesn’t let go of him. Now that they’ve made it here, he doesn’t know how he’ll ever stop touching Charlie. 

Teddy kicks the door closed behind them. Charlie is standing in the middle of the room, smiling at him. Teddy places his hand in the middle of Charlie’s chest and pushes him to the bed. Charlie tumbles onto the bed with a grace and playfulness that belies his bulk. 

Charlie lifts his body off the bed and Teddy rips his shirt off. His chest is broad and strong and the skin tastes salty and warm under Teddy’s tongue. Charlie’s arms come around Teddy’s body and Teddy rolls his hips, pining Charlie to the narrow bed. 

"What do you want?" Charlie asks.

Teddy kisses Charlie’s chest, moving to his nipple so he can lave his tongue over it. When he scrapes it gently with his teeth, Charlie hisses and arches into Teddy’s touch. 

"You," says Teddy. His hands are at Charlie’s belt buckle and he pulls at it until Charlie’s trousers come loose. "Can I?" Teddy slips his hand under Charlie’s pants and pulls them down, kissing along Charlie’s taut stomach as he goes.

"Yes," Charlie gasps. "Do whatever you want." 

Teddy looks up at Charlie as he takes his cock in hand. It’s hard and dark and hot and Teddy gives it three slow strokes. "Like that?" Teddy asks.

"More, please," Charlie says, writhing on the bed. He threads his fingers through Teddy’s hair and pushes Teddy’s head gently in the direction of his hard cock. 

Teddy resists for the time it takes him to stroke Charlie’s cock three more times. "I’ll suck you when I’m ready," he says. He kisses the inside of Charlie’s thighs and places his hand on Charlie’s stomach so he can feel the intake of breath when he takes the tip of Charlie’s cock into his mouth. 

"Fuck," Charlie moans as Teddy slides his lips over the head of his cock. 

"Stay still," says Teddy, pressing down on Charlie’s stomach. He swirls his tongue around the tip and presses into the slit. Charlie tastes salty and bitter and Teddy can feel his muscles tremble. He moves his hand up and down, meeting his mouth. Charlie’s cock seems to get harder, and it’s wet, and his fingers clench in Teddy’s hair. 

Teddy’s been told he’s good at this and the way Charlie is rocking up into his mouth and hand and moaning his name is all the confirmation he needs.

"I’m close, fuck, I’m close," Charlie groans. "God, I wanted to, you should st — "

Teddy doesn’t want to stop, so he sucks harder on the head and strokes harder and faster with his hand. 

"Ahhh," moans Charlie and his come fills Teddy’s mouth, slicking his cock and Teddy’s hand even more. Teddy keeps sucking, stroking gently as Charlie comes down and his fingers clenched in Teddy’s hair turn into soft caresses. 

"I," Charlie breathes. "I wanted to fuck you." 

"There’s plenty of time for that," says Teddy.

"Then let me," Charlie says, pushing Teddy back onto the bed. Teddy gasps as Charlie’s hot mouth engulfs his cock and he lets himself settle in for what promises to be the blow job of a lifetime. 

**

Teddy slowly begins to wake. The noises of morning on the Reserve make their way into the tiny cabin. The early morning light shines through the thin curtains. A shock of red hair tickles his nose. Charlie is warm and heavy next to him. He slides his hand under the blankets and along Charlie’s side. Charlie turns and folds Teddy into his arms.

In the last several days, Teddy has discovered that this is his favourite way to start the day. And it’s not only the sex. The sex is lovely, but it’s this — Charlie draped around him, putting off getting out of bed for a few more minutes, breathing the same air — that makes Teddy’s toes curl and chest feel full.

The days are filled with exploring and learning, and Charlie. The nights are beyond anything Teddy had ever imagined, and these early mornings are sweet and languid. The summer is flying by. 

**

Teddy scrubs his fingers through his hair. He puts his hands on his hips. He taps the toe of his perfectly polished dress shoe. He walks in a slow circle around the desk. No matter what angle he looks at it from, the pile of parchment and folios and receipts is in the same state. 

He checks the calendar and, sure enough, he’s been here for more than three weeks and he’s fuck all to show for it. Well, he thinks, remembering how he’d been wakened this morning — that’s not exactly true. 

"There’s nothing for it," he says to the pile. "One bit at a time." He picks up the first parchment his hand lights upon. It’s a field record from last season, noting that a Welsh Green’s egg failed to hatch and she didn’t eat for weeks. Teddy remembers that night and watching her with her new baby, and Charlie’s hands on his body after. It doesn’t seem quite right to put this note in a ledger marked ‘breeding.’ It was so much more than that. 

The door is flung open and Teddy turns. He’s hit immediately with a wave of disappointment. It’s not Charlie. It’s Esther, the no-nonsense second in command who’s barely said two words to Teddy since he arrived. She hangs her rain-drenched cloak at the door. 

"Making progress?" She asks and Teddy notes that her words to him have increased by one hundred percent. 

"Some," he lies. 

"Hm," she says, eyeing the pile. "Some." 

"Uh-huh." 

"When you’ve finished, you’ll fuck off to London," she says. It’s not a question and, in as much as Teddy hasn’t been thinking past the next time he gets to be alone with Charlie, it’s true. 

"I suppose," says Teddy, picking up an envelope that is stuffed full of receipts that seem to have no relation to each other. 

"This isn’t a business, you know, and Charlie’s not just a bloke. This is a home, dragons are what we live for, and Charlie’s the centre of our family. He doesn’t let new people in. He fucks strangers, he doesn’t have relationships, not since Terry. Fuck him up, and I’ll gut you." 

She stops, breathing heavily. Teddy stares at her. He had no idea she had the capacity to string that many words together at once. Teddy can’t think what to say. 

He’s saved, in a manner of speaking, by the door being flung open again. Charlie bursts in, stamping his feet and shaking his tunic. His hair hangs in wet tendrils around his face. "It’s a bloody downpour," he says. He freezes and looks back and forth between Esther and Teddy, still stuck in their détente. "Did I miss something?" He asks. 

Esther shakes her head, points a long finger at Teddy, as if she’s jabbing him from across the room, grabs her cloak, and walks out. 

"What was that about?" Charlie asks. 

"Nothing," says Teddy. He crosses the room to Charlie, grabs him by the front of his soaking wet shirt and kisses him like he was drowning. Charlie melts against him, wrapping his arms around Teddy and pulling him so close he lifts Teddy’s feet partly off the ground. 

"I’ll get you all wet," Charlie’s says, pressing his mouth against Teddy’s neck. 

"You get me more than that." Teddy lets Charlie spin him around and press him against the desk. Charlie’s thigh presses between his legs and Teddy rolls his hips so Charlie can feel how hard he is. "You drive me mad," Teddy says. He’s hard nearly all the time around Charlie. He can’t be in the room with him without wanting him, and when Charlie’s rubbing against him, circling his tongue around Teddy’s, and cupping his arse, Teddy can’t think, can’t care about anything else in the world. 

One more day goes by without Teddy finishing his work. 

** 

Teddy crouches down behind the boulder. Charlie is at his back, hand on his hip. In the clearing, the big green and gold female lowers her majestic head and nudges a tiny baby. Teddy’s reminded strongly of a baby robin he found in the back garden when he was small. It has the same appearance of scrawny delicacy, although this baby could probably take his head off. It’s a paler green than its mother and it’\s little scales haven’t taken on the iridescent quality yet. It stretches its wings and Teddy makes a soft sound of surprise. 

"It’s beautiful," says Charlie. He leans to kiss Teddy on the back of his neck, and Teddy loves the feel of Charlie’s chest against his back. 

Teddy nods. He knows Charlie will feel it and know what he’s thinking, what he’s feeling. The mother lowers herself to the ground and curls her huge body around her baby, just as she did when it was an egg. 

"Let’s leave them," Charlie says. "If she smells us, she’ll get agitated."

Teddy doesn’t want to leave. He’s certainly not ready to go back to the fire with all the others laughing and drinking. He wants to hold on to the quiet intimacy of this place, with Charlie, for a little longer. 

"That hot spring is over there, isn’t it?" He gestures in the general direction he remembers it being. It seems such a long time ago. 

Charlie grins and asks, "Fancy a dip?" 

Teddy grabs Charlie’s hand and springs up, pulling him in the direction of the hot, sensuous water. In minutes, Charlie takes over the lead, never letting go of Teddy’s hand. 

The steam rises off the pool, just as Teddy remembers it. The night is cooler than last time they were here, in the dead of summer. Teddy shivers as he drops his clothes. Charlie is quicker than him and is already in, soaking up to his chest.

He sinks into the pool and the heat of the water is almost too much. He swims over to where Charlie is seated on a little ledge. The water caresses his body and the sight of Charlie’s chest, pink from the heat, makes him hard before he even reaches Charlie. 

Charlie’s hand closes around Teddy’s arm and pulls Teddy to him. Teddy doesn’t need any encouragement. He climbs onto Charlie’s lap, straddling him. Charlie’s mouth is on his chest, kissing and licking his hot skin. 

"You’re already hard," Teddy says, not bothering to conceal the delight in his voice when he feels the press of Charlie’s cock against his thigh.

Charlie’s hand circles Teddy’s cock, and he murmurs, "Mmm," when he finds Teddy’s cock hard as stone as well. 

Teddy shimmies closer and threads his fingers through Charlie’s hair, pressing Charlie’s mouth harder against his chest, urging Charlie to work his nipple between his lips. "Yeah," Teddy groans. "You make me harder than I’ve ever been." 

Their cocks slide against each other in the silky water, and Teddy moans. Charlie’s broad hand wraps around both of them and Teddy nearly melts into the spring. 

"It’s like fucking," Charlie says and Teddy knows exactly what he means. The heat and silkiness of the water, the pressure of Charlie’s hand, and it feels like his cock is deep inside someone’s body. 

"Like fucking you," Teddy says. 

"Fuck," Charlie groans, bucking up into his own hand. 

The friction of his cock against Teddy’s is so good, so perfect. "Not going to last long," Teddy gasps as Charlie’s mouth covers his. Charlie licks at Teddy’s lips and Teddy flicks Charlie’s tongue with his. Kissing Charlie is as necessary as breathing right now. Teddy angles his hips closer to Charlie’s body, rocking into Charlie’s hand, moving his cock faster against Charlie’s. He wants to tell Charlie how much he loves being with him, how glad his is that Charlie wants him too. He can’t stop kissing him, and he can’t bear to talk about it because that will bring up how soon it is until Teddy is supposed to go back to London and Charlie might spook and ruin their last weeks together. 

"You’re so sweet, on top of me like this," Charlie says, his mouth moving to Teddy’s neck, nipping and kissing the skin there. 

"Yes," Teddy moans. 

Charlie’s hand squeezes harder, moves faster and Teddy feels that sense of inevitability. His hips jerk against Charlie’s body and Charlie doesn’t let go and Teddy’s orgasm crashes over him. He doesn’t stop moving and his hand joins Charlie’s as Charlie follows behind him a few strokes later.

The force of the orgasm and the heat of the spring make Teddy light-headed, and he sinks into Charlie’s lap. He wraps his legs around Charlie’s hips and lets his head fall to Charlie’s shoulder, burrowing into his neck. 

"You want to be here," Charlie says, hand trailing down Teddy’s back. 

"You’re awfully sure of yourself," says Teddy. He smiles against Charlie’s neck. 

"Well, you might have heard that everyone wants to be with me," says Charlie. The hand that was roaming Teddy’s back cups his arse. 

"But not everyone can," Teddy says. "So what does that make me?" 

"I couldn’t say, but it makes me nervous, if I’m being honest." 

"Nervous?" Teddy asks, leaning back so he can look into Charlie’s face.

"I don’t do — haven’t done — this," Charlie says, gesturing back and forth between Teddy and himself.

"This," Teddy says. "You mean, what, exactly?" 

"You’ve made me feel things I haven’t in a very long time," Charlie says. He’s looking up into the hills, past Teddy, at the craggy peaks that will soon be covered in snow. The summer has waned while Teddy’s been learning about the Reserve and becoming entwined with the life here, but mostly with Charlie. 

"Good," says Teddy, taking Charlie’s mouth in a kiss. 

**

Teddy slides out of bed as quietly and carefully as he can. The longing to climb back in with the softly snoring Charlie is physical in its intensity. Charlie huffs quietly and turns over, hand smoothing over the spot Teddy has just vacated. 

Teddy sighs and pulls on his clothes. He’ll stop at the dining hall on the way over and grab a tea and some toast. As much as he’s loathe to leave before Charlie wakes, he needs to get to the office and he knows it will not happen if he waits. 

Yesterday, with Charlie’s arm wrapped tightly around his waist, Teddy had perched on a cliff and watched a dragon tend to her yearling baby that had a gash in its haunch. It was a level of tenderness that reminded him of Gran when he’d fallen off his first broom. In that moment, with the hardness and warmth of Charlie against him, he’d figured out how to do the books. He’d been going about it all wrong. The records here can’t be organised by category and fiscal year. There’s no call for colour-coded files. The records for the Reserve have to tell the story — the real story. He knew in that moment that he has to organise everything by the dragons, by their names and families, by where they came from, and what knowledge they have contributed to the magical world. The personnel records are the same. Esther said it. This is a family, not a business. He tells their stories.

"Hey."

Charlie’s voice pulls him from his task. He steps back from the thick book he’s been writing and Spello-taping things in all day. His robes are covered with dust and he’s fairly sure he’s got smudges of ink and dust on his face and in his hair. 

"Blimey," Charlie says. "This place looks different."

It does, Teddy notices. Most of the mess from the desk is gone and thick ledgers, each marked with a dragon matriarch’s name, line the shelves. "I think I’ve finished." Teddy says, with a note of disbelief in his voice. He begins to explain to Charlie what he’s done — how everything is organised and how it follows the lives of the dragon’s and people who make up this rag-tag family. He’s lost track of how long he’s been talking and he pauses for a breath. Charlie is staring at him with a look that’s something close to wonder. 

Charlie crosses the room in two strides and says, "It’s brilliant, absolutely fucking brilliant," as he takes Teddy in his arms. 

Teddy is about to explain more, to tell Charlie how his lessons in the caves and on the mountains showed him what needed done. He’s about to say how pleased he is that Charlie likes it, but Charlie’s mouth is on his, pulling him into a deep kiss. 

Teddy kisses him and runs his hands up and down his sides. He’s hard in an instant and dizzy with the intensity of Charlie’s strong body taking over. 

"I’m going to fuck you," says Charlie, whispering in Teddy’s ear. 

They haven’t done this yet. Teddy’s always topped. Teddy shivers and he knows Charlie felt it when he laughs low and sultry, soft puffs of breath on Teddy’s skin. 

"Turn around," Charlie says in a tone that brooks no argument. 

Teddy turns and braces himself with his hands on the now-clear desk. "Get on with it, then," Teddy says and he feels Charlie’s hand on him and a whispered spell and he’s stark naked. "Anyone could come in," Teddy says and he’s not sure if he that’s a deterrent or an enticement. 

"No one comes in here — that’s why it was such a mess." 

Teddy decides that arguing that Esther comes in fairly frequently is not necessary when he feels Charlie’s breath on his back and hands on his hips. Teddy leans forward, bending over the desk. 

"What a sight," murmurs Charlie, as if to himself. 

"Yes," says Teddy when Charlie’s hands smooth over his arse, trailing a finger down his crease. He bends over more, his chest nearly against the desk. 

"Better and better," says Charlie. He grasps Teddy’s arse and presses and Teddy feels open and filthy, knowing Charlie can see everything. 

"Touch me," says Teddy. His cock is aching for more and his breath is short with anticipation when he hears Charlie mutter a spell. "Like that, yeah." Charlie’s slick finger circles Teddy’s hole and Teddy pushes back, forcing it inside.

"Fuck, I love how much you love it," says Charlie. He gives Teddy what he wants and slides his finger deeper inside Teddy’s body. "I love how fucking eager you always are." 

"You drive me mad," says Teddy. "I want you. I always want you." He feels more exposed than he ever has before, bent over the desk, Charlie sliding now two fingers in and out of his body, admitting things he’s never admitted to anyone so plainly.

"So gorgeous," Charlie says. Teddy feels the stretch of another finger. "Look at you taking it. Are you ready? Are you ready for my cock?" 

"Please," says Teddy. "Please, now." 

"Yeah." 

Charlie’s fingers are gone and Teddy feels the blunt head of Charlie’s cock — the cock he’s sucked and touched so many times — pushing into his body for the first time. 

"Okay," asks Charlie as he pulses his hips, entering Teddy a little at a time.

Teddy doesn’t know how Charlie can ask if he’s okay, when every nerve-ending in his body is singing. "Yes, god, more," Teddy says and his voice is ragged. 

"Like that," says Charlie. "Just like that," he says as he pushes deeper and deeper into Teddy, until Teddy can feel Charlie’s chest and stomach flush against his back. 

Teddy makes a strangled sound and rolls his hips, forcing Charlie to move. Charlie matches him, pulling out slowly and then pushing back in. Teddy grips the side of the desk and rocks back into Charlie’s thrusts. 

"You’ll like this," says Charlie. Grasping Teddy’s hips, he pulls out and out until his cock slips from Teddy’s arse. 

"No, god, don’t stop," Teddy whines. 

"I’m nowhere near done with you," says Charlie. Teddy feels his arse cheeks being spread apart and Charlie’s cock pressing back inside. Charlie pushes in deep and then pulls back out, letting his cock slip from Teddy’s body again. 

"Oh, fuck, oh fuck." Teddy is on fire. His cheek is against the desk and his knees are about to give way. Charlie does it again and again, pulling all the way out so Teddy feels empty and open and desperate and then he thrusts back inside. "Please," moans Teddy, not sure what he’s asking for. 

"You fucking gorgeous thing," says Charlie. He pulls out again and pauses, and Teddy can feel Charlie’s gaze on his open hole. "Next time I’ll lick your gorgeous arse until your begging."

"Enough," says Teddy, but what he means is that it’s too much. "Fuck me, please, fuck me." 

"Yeah," moans Charlie. "Yeah," he moans again as he fucks into Teddy, quick, even strokes deep inside. 

Teddy can’t wait. He’s been on the edge for ages, years it seems. He reaches and takes himself in hand, letting his own hand and Charlie’s cock take him over the edge. He chants Charlie’s name, coming all over the pristine desk and slamming his arse back against Charlie’s body.

Charlie’s hips jerk fast and hard and he gasps and pants and Teddy holds on until Charlie’s thrusts slow and his arms come around Teddy’s body with unbearable tenderness. 

Charlie sinks to the floor, conjuring fat pillows as he goes. He pulls Teddy down with him and they settle into a comfortable embrace. 

"I don’t want to leave," Teddy whispers before he realises the words are out of his mouth. 

"You could stay," Charlie says. 

Teddy presses his cheek against Charlie’s chest and lets the feeling of being utterly safe wash over him. He doesn’t want to lose this. "I’m expected back," he says, even though that’s not what he means. 

"We need you here," Charlie says. His cheek is against Teddy’s hair and Teddy knows they can only have this conversation because they aren’t looking at each other. "We need you to stay on and do the books. You’re the only one who’s ever understood." 

Teddy’s stomach sinks. Charlie wants him here because of his book-keeping expertise. "You didn’t give me a choice. All those excursions," says Teddy. Trying and failing to keep his voice light. 

Charlie’s hands cup Teddy’s jaw and he angles his face so he can look into Teddy’s eyes. "Teddy," Charlie says, "I never tried with anyone else. I want you to be here — if you want to be." 

"I want to be with you," says Teddy. He imagines telling Gran and Harry that he’s not coming home. He imagines leaving Charlie, and he can’t make either picture work. "We don’t have to decide today," says Teddy. He leans in and presses his lips to Charlie’s. Charlie opens to him without hesitation.

Teddy will think about — give it serious thought. He’ll talk to Harry and he’ll talk to Gran, and maybe he’ll leave his job at the Ministry. Maybe he’ll have a life that’s mountains and stars, and stories of dragons, and Charlie. Maybe he’ll have all of that, but they don’t have to decide today.

**Author's Note:**

> This work is part of the 2018 Harry Potter Cross Gen Fest. The author will be revealed on August 31.


End file.
